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The GW Hatchet

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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PAUL closes in Western Market
By Ella Mitchell, Staff Writer • April 22, 2024

WEB UPDATE: New service provider replaces Aramark

Aramark will no longer be the University’s main food service provider beginning May 31, administrators announced Monday during a meeting of student group leaders.

Sodexho, the company’s national competitor, will replace Aramark and is set to make changes to campus dining options by constructing new venues and making replacements in J Street. Quizno’s will replace Subway and Chick Fil-A is set to replace Burrito Express.

A new venue, J Street Caf?, will feature an all-you-can-eat dining option with a pre-paid number of meals. It will be constructed in some of the space occupied by Starbucks and Columbian Square in the Marvin Center.

Another new venue, a full-service restaurant serving beer and wine to students 21 and over, will be added to the fifth floor of the Marvin Center.

The District Market supermarket in the Marvin Center’s lower level is set to move to the main level by next year and will occupy the space where Jamba Juice is located. It will become more of a convenience store.

District Market’s current location will “revert to University use,” Director of Media Relations Tracy Schario said.

Aramark signed a 10-year contract with the University in July 2004, but in late November, the company told GW officials that it would express its right within the contract to terminate the agreement.

Assistant Director of Media Relations Matt Lindsay said the University was not notified of an official reason for Aramark’s termination but said it could have been due to the company profiting less than it expected to.

Following Aramark’s decision, the University launched a competitive bidding process for a new food vendor contract. Aramark submitted a new proposal along with two other national food service companies, Compass Group and Sodexho.

Last week, GW offered a contract to Sodexho because it was “the most interesting proposal” and offered a plan with the most diverse selection of retail venues for students, Lindsay said.

“We wanted to have another contract in place before making the announcement,” Lindsay said. “We wanted some tangible improvement to bring to the student community.”

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